Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes

Matt Sprouts #1

by Matthew Eicheldinger

After accidentally injuring his neighbor, Matt Sprouts thinks he has "the Curse,” a hometown myth that ruins middle schoolers’ lives. To defeat the Curse, Matt decides he needs to solve the mystery—and FAST!—but that’s not easy to do when you’re entering middle school, keeping track of your little brother, trying to defeat the best soccer team, and oh yeah, not breaking any more toes.

Twelve-year-old Matt Sprouts is in big trouble. He didn't mean to hurt his neighbor Jenna with that awesome martial arts move—it just happened! Blame it on morning cartoons or Jenna's lack of coordination. Any­ways, getting grounded is the worst thing that could happen, right?

Wrong.

After the incident spirals into a series of downright unfortunate events, it's decided that Matt has contracted "the Curse," a hometown myth that has ruined the lives of middle schoolers before him. And as if the Curse weren't enough, entering sixth grade proves to be just as mysterious—there's a strange girlfriend, wacky teachers, and . . . c'mon, can Matt's toes stop breaking PLEASE ?!

Matt decides to take matters into his own hands. Now he just has to break the Curse . . . before all his bones break.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Young Adult, Kids

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
After working in a middle school for 17 years, I appreciated the humor, awkwardness and shenanigans that this book brought out. I do follow the author on Instagram and find him to be incredibly humble about his writing. He is a middle school teacher and now an author. I look forward to his future stories.

[Sue Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm well past the target demographic for this book and without any age appropriate youngsters to read it with, but that doesn't stop me for loving it and enjoying the hero's journey . Poor Matt didn't mean to break Jenna's collarbone. He was only demonstrating his awesome ninja skills. Then slowly he started breaking his own toes. As he realizes he is cursed, he must figure out how to break the curse. Funny and relatable. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[bluerose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of attending my first author signing recently, which is where I picked up this book. Matt Eicheldinger, is a former teacher, and I first became a fan of the stories he shares regularly online about his classroom experiences. They are not, however, the focus of this book (that one is coming in October and I CANNOT wait); this is a middle-grade novel that is thoroughly charming and very funny. According to the author, the main character is a fictionalized version of himself, and other characters and incidents are often based on real people and incidents to some extent. It's the first of three or four and I look forward to continuing the series. (And a tiny part of me also hopes he goes back to the classroom at some point because good grief do we need more teachers like him.)

[Amy Surma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so excited that this was a book written by a teacher! I was looking for a new read aloud for the upcoming school year and this hits the spot. It’s funny, cute, and heartwarming. There is a great lesson in there that will be great for discussion!

[Rebekah Kelly Lichty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun to read with my second grader. It made us both laugh out loud several times!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit disappointed given the author’s messaging on social media. I was expecting a story about inclusion, positivity, etc. It ended with that message, but getting there was a lot of what felt like early 90s cartoon style themes and language.

[Cilla Savary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an adventure!

The trouble Matt Sprouts has gotten himself into seems to have no end. All those broken toes!. He is a great narrator of his story. All the 'feels'. Just when I was thinking 'okay enough with broken toes', the story takes a fast turn I did not see coming. If you read this book you are in for a really great story!

[Lori Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for middle grade readers. All about the mishaps of Matt Sprouts and the town curse. Light middle grade humor. A little slow in spots, but a good story.

[Candace Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Whew, it took me and my son several months to get through this one but we both really enjoyed it!

[Michelle Kaderly Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teacher Matt Eicheldinger’s debut middle-grade novel released around March 19, Matt Sprouts and The Curse of the Ten Broken Toes. I bought the book because I follow Matt E. on Instagram and love hearing his stories. His novel about sixth grade Matt Sprouts has laugh-out-loud moments, which makes it a book I automatically like. Who doesn’t need more laughs in their day? Matt E. also illustrated the novel and claims parts of it are autobiographical, which makes one sit up and take notice.

Readers get dropped into Matt’s world through his POV. You see his enthusiasm over practicing his karate kicks. You experience his sassy moments and walk with him through his fears. I believe Matt E. did an excellent job portraying the life of a poor sixth grader cursed with breaking all his toes. The question of when will the next toe break and how lends to the tension.

His description of the substitute teacher is original too. He weaves all the different points of the story nicely.

Sometimes Matt’s attitude gets out of joint. He faces pressures with a friendship problem and a girl who wants him to be her boyfriend. Poor Matt gets into some perplexing problems kids his age face.

Others tease him or don’t want to associate with him because they think he is cursed. At first he doesn’t believe in this curse, but as the story unfolds, it seems like it must be true. Even the toy eight ball declares him cursed.

Matt figures out that no matter how many curveballs life throws at you, you still need to do the right thing, protect others, and face your problems head on. All good reminders for people of all ages.

I think middle school readers will relate to Matt Sprouts and The Curse of the Ten Broken Toes. The story ends with a teaser, so I expect we’ll be reading another book by Matt Eicheldinger soon!

[Amber Quesenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Eicheldinger is an incredible story teller. I read this book my class of 18 second graders and they Loved it! Every day they begged me to read another chapter. They remembered details of the story that I had forgotten about. They laughed, we celebrated Matt sprouts and we learned life lessons of friendship and always doing what’s right. This is great for those between 4th-8th grade!! Love love love it!

[Mark Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The titular narrator has plenty to learn. Just how rambunctious, naive, and sometimes downright mean he sometimes is surprised me in a good way. Sure, he has a lot of heart, but I expected that from this author whose Instagram feed is full of humor, joy, and kindness. What I wouldn't have guessed is how challenging this character would be. Matt Sprouts makes real emotional progress in this novel; he doesn't start off fully self-aware. He's not perfect at the end, either, but he's taken some creative risks and grown up a bit. Plus, the story was very funny and often exciting. Loved it. This series has huge potential and I'm so excited for the next entry.

[BethK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a pre-release e-book obtained through NetGalley, provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is a lovely book with a message. It not only gives vivid portrayal of the southern Western Slope of Colorado – with all of its spectacular beauty, but it is descriptive of the life of a middle school kid – with all of life’s ups and downs – including a legend of a Curse from the superstitious minds of young teens. There’s school, there are likeable and unliked teachers, there’s team sports, there’s camp, there are cliques, there’s romance, there’s falling out and falling in with friends, there’s yard work for a neighbor, there’s disappointment getting paid less than you thought, there’s horsing around, there’s someone getting hurt, there’s skiing, there are bullies, there’s getting even, and the narrator of the story gets 10 broken toes over several incidents, he believes, as a punishment for horsing around and breaking a neighbor girl’s collar bone.

There’s a moral to the story: You can't let curveballs bother you. You have to tackle those problems and confront them head-on, whether you want to or not. And, you set things right.

This is written for middle schoolers, yet is an endearing story for any adult reminiscing how things were in our tween years – and a reminder why we’re all glad those years are over. It’s best read a chapter or two at a time while remembering one’s own school days.

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes by Matthew Eicheldinger is a fun middle grade chapter book. I am a fan of this author’s story telling on Instagram. I was interested in reading this book as a result. I found his book fun and endearing much like his Instagram posts. I think tweens will love this book about childhood and siblings and the difficulties of middle school. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes has caught the attention of some of my reluctant readers. As soon as they heard the book read during "First Chapter Friday", many wanted my copy and I had to start a list. It's easy to read and each chapter ends wanting to know what is going to happen to the rest of Matt's toes. Well done!

[Carey Feltmeyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

My students thought this book was fine, but didn’t love it. I found Matt to be one of the least likable characters I’ve ever encountered in a book. He is rude, self-centered and entitled. The plot drug on and wasn’t very strong to begin with. The ending/solution felt like it was thrown in just to finally wrap up the story and felt disconnected from the rest of the story.

[Meydo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s difficult for us to find books our 10 year old son likes to read. Most of the time he moans and groans when it’s time to read. This one, he could not put down, and is currently reading for a second time!

[Lynnea Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old son recently finished this book. He loved the "what is he going to do next" and "how is it going to happen" anticipation of each story. We highly recommend this for all readers!

[V. Goethals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy to read this book as I follow Matt Eicheldinger on social media. I enjoy his telling of teacher experiences that he has had with his students and the insight as he tells those stories.
This book was geared for a younger audience, but still was fun to read as I really heard the author's voice in telling this story of childhood.
The story revolves around Matt Sprouts who is a middle school young man, who loves playing soccer and just wants to hang out with friends. Summer is just ready to begin and what starts as a little horseplay turns into an accident that hurts the girl next door. Her summer gets off to a terrible start and Matt has to reign in all that fun martial arts horseplay and get serious about a summer job of rock picking the neighbor's yard. That's where the injuries to Matt's toes start, and continue on with one mishap after another. Summer turns to fall and Matt (and all his peers at school) start to believe he is cursed and he sets out to find the right solution to stop these constant toe injuries. There's plenty of middle school social angst, and Matt has to maneuver those daily. Missing old friends, making new friends, girlfriends, scary teachers....
The nice part is that in this story, Matt does get a nice amount of good parenting and he has a conscience that reminds him of the right things to do. He works hard to be on his soccer team, he appreciates his family, tolerates his younger brother and really does quietly suffer in order to do what he loves. You can't help but like the kid and root for him to beat this curse and solve his broken toe trouble once and for all.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited to share an extraordinary, hilarious new book...and an interview with the author! Matt Sprouts And The Curse Of The Ten Broken Toes, written by educator and master storyteller Matt Eicheldinger, is SUCH a joy to read.

Whatever your age, whoever you are reading it with and to, get ready to laugh, groan, cheer, and support Matt in his escapades and life lessons.

Is there a curse? Are there truly ten broken toes? What kind of athletic, rambunctious kid is Matt Sprouts? And what's up with the bees?

The answer? A hilarious one! Matt Sprouts is living his best life: flawed, funny, and ultimately full of growth.

This is a laugh out loud book, a story that we can all relate to in one way or another, and a prime example of the power of excellent storytelling.

I love this book so. I know you will, too. Highly, highly recommended.

https://www.wanderingeducators.com/bo...

[Anna Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physical Book: my family read this one out loud mostly without me, I had only caught bits and pieces. So I just re-read it by myself. As a full grown adult who already knew chunks of the story, I still found myself not wanting to put it down! The thing I find fascinating is you already know what is going to happen (10 broken toes) and yet you don’t know how it’s gonna happen, which then causes the intrigue. I also loved the character development of Matt. He starts out just kind of like a typical selfish pre-teen who isn’t very self aware. And he learns a lot about himself and others and who he wants to be when he grows up. I’m excited to see what additional stories come out of this series in the future! It’s def a family favorite in our household.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Sprouts is looking forward to his summer. In the fall, he will be moving up to middle school. Matt is going to try out for an elite soccer league. Things are really looking up. Then Matt accidentally breaks his neighbor, Jenna’s, collar bone. He feels a sense of guilt over the injury but still is looking forward to his summer. Then Matt breaks two toes. When his brother and friends tell Matt about a Curse, he laughs it off. But as the summer progresses and Matt breaks more toes, he starts to worry about how to reverse the Curse. This is a fun book. It is a quick read for middle graders. My eight-year-old grandson loved it. Five stars all around!

[Melissa Smith]

If I were going to rate this book, I would give it 2 stars. I’m not going to rate it, because I am not the intended audience. If I were a middle school boy, I would probably give it 4 or 5. It’s well-written, and the vocabulary is varied, but it seemed to go on too long and then wind down too abruptly. The main characters are not likeable, but they are all believable. Maybe the author doesn’t intend us to like them. Maybe we are just supposed to appreciate the challenges of the middle school life and be thankful that most of us don’t have to worry about weird curses or mean bullies or pushy girlfriends. I probably won’t recommend this one to my students.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to find well-written stories for kids that are funny, but this one hits the mark. Matt tells the story and the writing rings true for a middle schooler. I found it a little hard to believe that he would acquiesce so readily to having a girl friend, but she is certainly a pistol. Matt slowly develops a sense of responsibility and learns to think before he acts. There is just a hint of the paranormal as various people help him survive the "curse". And if you're a soccer fan, then this book will be right up your alley.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt is a typical middle schooler. When his karate moves accidentally break a friend's collar bone, he has consequences which, apparently, include the Curse. When he breaks a toe, he has more empathy for Jenna. Then he breaks more toes and starts to believe the curse is real. His friends and brother talk about it all the time. Readers follow Matt through the rest of the summer and the school year. Sure enough, he breaks all ten toes throughout the soccer season.
Middle grade readers will appreciate the humor and antics as Matt and his friends navigate school and families and life.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 2 out of 5]

When twelve-year-old Matt faces a series of unpleasant events, such as broken bones, he believes he has been doomed by "The Curse. "The Curse is a tall tale formed to dampen a middle schooler's reputation. Matt is set, bound, and determined to beat the curse. Matt Sprouts is accident-prone and a master of making mischief. The question remains if he can conquer the curse without injuring himself or anyone else.
Overall, after reading Sticky Notes and loving it, I am disappointed by this book. I failed to connect with the story. I am unclear if I will continue the series.

[Riley Landy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book Matt sprouts and the curse of the ten broken toes by Matt Eicheldinger is about a kid who is cursed after an altercation with his friend's sister and has to go through middle school. I liked this book. First of all, it was a book that was able to keep my attention the entire time. Also, the character development was unlike any book i Have read. Overall, i would recommend this book to others because it was hard to put the book down.

[Aidan Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, best book i have ever read i n my entire life. Matt Eicheldinger does such a good job making this a young teenager book that can make you laugh. Matt Sprouts is a teenage boy whose summer changed dramatically after a specific incident at the beginning of the summer that leads to multiple events to occur that he called… THE CURSE! I definitely recommend this awesome book!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've been following Mr Eich on Instagram since early fall, and have been anxiously awaiting his book to arrive. We received the book yesterday. I had to take the book away from our 9 yo after she got to Chapter 8, so she would go to sleep. She is loving this book so far. I have been able to read a bit as well and it definitely captures your interest and imagination quickly. We look forward to the adventures ahead with this book series.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this for my 5th grade class - more appropriate for middle school.
It was long. I found myself skimming whole sections about soccer just to get through it faster.
It's kind of like Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the story of the Curse and the drawings. I'm more than a little confused about a drawing of a bull with udders.
I think this might be a good book for kids who have stamina and decent reading ability.